Vinicius Junior took to social media to express his disappointment after finishing second in the Ballon d’Or voting behind Manchester City’s Rodri. Instead of congratulating the Spanish midfielder, he vowed to “do it 10 times” if necessary to earn recognition for the prestigious individual award.
Build-Up to the Ceremony
The Brazilian forward was widely regarded as the favorite leading up to the France Football ceremony held in Paris. However, just before the event, rumors surfaced that Rodri had claimed the top spot in the voting. Consequently, Real Madrid chose not to send a delegation for the awards night, resulting in no representatives being present to accept the club’s accolades, including Best Men’s Team and Best Coach (Carlo Ancelotti), as well as a shared Gerd Muller Trophy with Kylian Mbappe.
Ceremony Highlights
After the awards concluded, where Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati won the Women’s Award and Rodri took home the men’s prize, Vinicius posted on X, stating, “I’ll do it 10 times if I have to. They’re not ready.”
Eu farei 10x se for preciso. Eles não estão preparados.
— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) October 28, 2024
During the ceremony, as George Weah prepared to announce the winner, shouts of “Vini” could be heard from the crowd, just before Rodri, who was on crutches due to an injury, ascended the stage to collect his award.
Criticism of Real Madrid’s Boycott
Real Madrid faced significant criticism on social media for effectively boycotting the awards ceremony, with many perceiving it as disrespectful to other players and clubs. Some fans viewed the decision as yet another instance of entitlement from a club that often feels wronged by perceived injustices in football.
Teammate’s Support
FOOTBALL POLITICS ❌
My brother you are the best player in the world and no award can say otherwise. Love you my bro ❤️ pic.twitter.com/X3yAH1Sl0p
— Eduardo Camavinga (@Camavinga) October 28, 2024
Eduardo Camavinga, one of Vinicius’ teammates, also weighed in on social media, claiming that “football politics” played a role in the award being incorrectly given to Rodri.
Recent Performance
The situation follows Real Madrid’s recent 4-0 defeat to arch-rivals Barcelona in El Clasico, where the Catalan club attended the Ballon d’Or ceremony and celebrated their wins, including the Best Women’s Team trophy and the Kopa Trophy for best under-21 player awarded to winger Lamine Yamal.
Read More : Rodri Wins 2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or, Edging Out Vinicius Jr
